Faroe Islands

Northern Europe, island group between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about halfway between Iceland and Norway

62 00 N, 7 00 W

Europe

1,393 sq km

1,393 sq km

0 sq km (some lakes and streams)

Eight times the size of Washington, D.C.

0 km

1,117 km

12 nm

200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line

200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line

Mild winters, cool summers; usually overcast; foggy, windy

Rugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most of coast

Slaettaratindur 882 m

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Fish, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas

70.1% (2023 est.)

Arable land: 0.1% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)

Permanent pasture: 70.1% (2023 est.)

0.1% (2023 est.)

29.8% (2023 est.)

The island of Streymoy is by far the most populous with over 40% of the population; it has approximately twice as many inhabitants as Eysturoy, the second most populous island; seven of the inhabited islands have fewer than 100 people

Strong winds and heavy rains can occur throughout the year

Archipelago of 17 inhabited islands, one uninhabited island, and a few uninhabited islets; strategically located along important sea lanes in northeastern Atlantic; precipitous terrain limits habitation to small coastal lowlands

52,933 (2024 est.)

27,400

25,533

Faroese (singular and plural)

Faroese

Faroese 83.8% (Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon descent), Danish 8.3%, Filipino 1.2%, other Nordic 0.9%, other 4.5% (includes Polish and Romanian) (2024 est.)

Faroese 93.8% (derived from Old Norse), Danish 3.2%, other 3% (2011 est.)

Christian 87% (predominantly Evangelical Lutheran), other 0.9%, none 3.7%, unspecified 8.9% (2011 est.)

20% (male 5,489/female 5,122)

61.5% (male 17,188/female 15,346)

18.5% (2024 est.) (male 4,723/female 5,065)

62.7 (2024 est.)

32.6 (2024 est.)

30.1 (2024 est.)

3.3 (2024 est.)

37 years (2025 est.)

36.9 years

36.8 years

0.62% (2025 est.)

14.76 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

8.58 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

The island of Streymoy is by far the most populous with over 40% of the population; it has approximately twice as many inhabitants as Eysturoy, the second most populous island; seven of the inhabited islands have fewer than 100 people

43% of total population (2023)

0.89% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

21,000 TORSHAVN (capital) (2018)

1.07 male(s)/female

1.07 male(s)/female

1.12 male(s)/female

0.93 male(s)/female

1.07 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

5.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

6.3 deaths/1,000 live births

5.1 deaths/1,000 live births

81.7 years (2024 est.)

79.2 years

84.4 years

2.26 children born/woman (2025 est.)

1.09 (2025 est.)

Urban: NA

Rural: NA

Total: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Urban: NA

Rural: NA

Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

2.62 physicians/1,000 population (2016)

52.3% (2021 est.)

7.6% of GDP (2019 est.)

Coastal erosion, landslides and rockfalls, flash flooding, wind storms; oil spills

Mild winters, cool summers; usually overcast; foggy, windy

70.1% (2023 est.)

Arable land: 0.1% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)

Permanent pasture: 70.1% (2023 est.)

0.1% (2023 est.)

29.8% (2023 est.)

43% of total population (2023)

0.89% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

742,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

742,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

61,000 tons (2024 est.)

67% (2012 est.)

None

Faroe Islands

None

Foroyar

The archipelago's name derives from the Old Norse name Faeroyar, meaning "sheep islands;" faer means "sheep," and -oyar means "islands"

Parliamentary democracy (Faroese Parliament); part of the Kingdom of Denmark

Part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1948

Torshavn

62 00 N, 6 46 W

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

The name means "Thor's harbor" in Danish

29 first-order municipalities (kommunur, singular - kommuna) Eidhi, Eystur, Famjin, Fuglafjordhur, Fugloy, Hov, Husavik, Hvalba, Hvannasund, Klaksvik, Kunoy, Kvivik, Nes, Porkeri, Runavik, Sandur, Sjovar, Skalavik, Skopun, Skuvoy, Sorvagur, Sumba, Sunda, Torshavn, Tvoroyri, Vagar, Vagur, Vestmanna, Vidhareidhi

The laws of Denmark apply

5 June 1953 (Danish Constitution), 23 March 1948 (Home Rule Act), and 24 June 2005 (Takeover Act) serve as the Faroe Islands' constitutional position in the Unity of the Realm

See entry for Denmark

See Denmark

18 years of age; universal

King FREDERIK X of Denmark (since 14 January 2024), represented by High Commissioner Lene Moyell JOHANSEN, chief administrative officer (since 15 May 2017) (2024)

Prime Minister Aksel V. JOHANNESEN (since 22 December 2022)

Landsstyri appointed by the prime minister

The monarchy is hereditary; high commissioner appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the Parliament usually elects the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as the prime minister

8 December 2022

2026

Faroese Parliament (Logting)

Unicameral

33 (directly elected)

Proportional representation

Full renewal

4 years

12/8/2022

JF (9); B (7); A (6); E (6); F (3); H (2)

27.3%

2026

Faroese Court or Raett (Rett in Danish) decides both civil and criminal cases; the Court is part of the Danish legal system

Court of the First Instance or Tribunal de Première Instance; Court of Administrative Law or Tribunal Administratif; Mixed Commercial Court; Land Court

Center Party or H (Midflokkurin) People's Party or A (Folkaflokkurin) Progress Party or F (Framsokn) Republic or E (Tjodveldi) (formerly the Republican Party) Social Democratic Party or JF (Javnadarflokkurin) or JF Union Party or B (Sambandsflokkurin)

None (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)

None (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)

Arctic Council, IMO (associate), NC, NIB, UNESCO (associate), UPU

None (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)

Olaifest (Olavsoka), 29 July (1030)

Description: white with a red cross outlined in blue that extends to the edges of the flag; the cross is shifted toward the left side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) meaning: white represents waves breaking on the shore; red and blue are traditional Faroese colors history: the flag is referred to as Merkid, meaning "the banner" or "the mark;" a group of students designed it in 1919, although it wasn't officially adopted until 1940

Ram

"Mitt alfagra land" (My Fairest Land)

Simun av SKAROI/Peter ALBERG

Adopted 1948; the anthem is also known as "Tu alfagra land mitt" (Thou Fairest Land of Mine); as a self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark, the Faroe Islands are permitted to have their own national anthem

High-income Danish territorial economy; party neither to the EU nor the Schengen Area; associate Nordic Council member; very low unemployment; unique foreign ownership allowance in fishing industry; known salmon exporter; growing IT industries

$3.834 billion (2023 est.)

$3.741 billion (2022 est.)

$3.613 billion (2021 est.)

2.5% (2023 est.)

3.6% (2022 est.)

5.5% (2021 est.)

$70,400 (2023 est.)

$69,400 (2022 est.)

$67,800 (2021 est.)

$3.907 billion (2023 est.)

18.2% (2023 est.)

19.7% (2023 est.)

52% (2023 est.)

40.6% (2023 est.)

27.3% (2023 est.)

31% (2023 est.)

0% (2023 est.)

57.7% (2023 est.)

-56.6% (2023 est.)

Milk, potatoes, lamb/mutton, sheepskins, sheep offal, beef, sheep fat, beef offal, cattle hides, beef suet (2023)

Fishing, fish processing, tourism, small ship repair and refurbishment, handicrafts

4.1% of GDP (2023 est.)

4.4% of GDP (2022 est.)

4.3% of GDP (2021 est.)

$2.255 billion (2023 est.)

$2.219 billion (2022 est.)

$1.923 billion (2021 est.)

Russia 26.4%, UK 14.1%, Germany 8.4%, China 7.9%, Spain 6.8%, Denmark 6.2%, US 4.7%, Poland 4.4%, Norway 4.1% (2017)

Fish and fish products (2021)

$2.212 billion (2023 est.)

$2.223 billion (2022 est.)

$1.906 billion (2021 est.)

Denmark 33%, China 10.7%, Germany 7.6%, Poland 6.8%, Norway 6.7%, Ireland 5%, Chile 4.3% (2017)

Goods for household consumption, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, raw materials and semi-manufactures, cars

Danish kroner (DKK) per US dollar -

6.894 (2024 est.)

6.89 (2023 est.)

7.076 (2022 est.)

6.287 (2021 est.)

6.542 (2020 est.)

100% (2022 est.)

99.9%

100%

180,000 kW (2023 est.)

463.285 million kWh (2023 est.)

25.115 million kWh (2023 est.)

53.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

18.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

26.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

1 metric tons (2023 est.)

5,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

15,000 (2021 est.)

28 (2022 est.)

57,146 (2022 est.)

106 (2022 est.)

1 publicly owned TV station; the Faroese telecommunications company distributes local and international channels through its digital terrestrial network; publicly owned radio station supplemented by 3 privately owned stations broadcasting over multiple frequencies

.fo

98% (2017 est.)

19,000 (2022 est.)

35 (2022 est.)

OY-H

1 (2025)

12 (2025)

91 (2023)

Container ships 6, general cargo 45, other 40

9 (2024)

0

0

0

9

5

Fuglafjordur, Klaksvik, Kongshavn, Runavik, Sorvagur, Torshavn, Tvoroyri, Vagur, Vestmanna

No regular military forces or conscription

The Government of Denmark has responsibility for defense; as such, the Danish military’s Joint Arctic Command in Nuuk, Greenland is responsible for coordinating the defense of the Faroe Islands; the Joint Arctic Command has a contact element in the capital of Torshavn